HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

Who are the famous Hi-Fi reviewers that likes listening to their music/systems loud?

S.

Malcolm Steward. Hi-Fi for him is a home PA system.

Isn't that just plain silly though? Surely he'll damage the tools of his trade

Alfi.

They are damaged why do you think he still likes Linn and Naim (apart from it is in his *business* interest).

I have said many times loudness is a factor of distortion, nothing else. People who like loud and pin you back to impress you i.e. Muccus are listening to the onset of soft clipping and distortion.

I used to be able to prove it in Tresham Audio days. The SR402 in bridged mono produced over 1200w and it would sound powerful but not "loud" until your ears were bleeding, as your ears were distorting while being destroyed. This is why so many rock musicians and roadies are nearly deaf and they didn't know it was happening.

Follow up - this is why I get so cross with people who talk about needing 100s of w for home listening. In reality it is just dangerous, and if you use it you will regret it as it is a no warning irreversible damage situation.

I do find it curious why many speaker manufacturers specify high power amps when in reality a few watts can make all but the most inefficient speaker go loud in the average room.

Rocky if you just realised that 90% of what is said by manufacturers, reviewers, magazines, and repeated by forum egotists to try and make themselves look clever is just bullshit for marketing purposes. It is a disease I have been trying to fight for years. The only thing you should validate is your own experience, as long as you realise you only know what you know and in the context you witnessed it. What you don't know is the rest of the universe.

Classicrock wrote:I do find it curious why many speaker manufacturers specify high power amps when in reality a few watts can make all but the most inefficient speaker go loud in the average room.

But as I told you "loud" means distortion. Sounds powerful means power.

I think Alphafan will back me up, but it used to be said that you need around 5W mean plus a kilowatt on peaks. Using ATC's has shown me that it's a system's abilities at LOW volumes that's the most important (ATC's in my day just couldn't do low level listening at all).

Och you just turn the knob till your comfortable........comon sense really.
I dont get much past the 9 o clock pos wth my Zingali speakers cause they are sensitive at 94 db.
Same with the Cans, it only takes a wee tweak of the vol controls on the AP10hJS to get the buggers singing.